By First day of school, 2018 edition. Noah starts seventh grade — middle school year two, taller, quieter, more certain of himself in the way that twelve-year-olds become certain when they find their thing. His thing is building. His thing is machines. He walked into school carrying a backpack and a confidence that I didn't have at his age and that impresses me in the way that watching your child exceed you always impresses — with pride and a tiny, irrational fear that you're somehow not needed anymore.
Emma starts fifth grade. Top of the elementary school. She's ten and she walks in like she's been running the place for years, which emotionally she has been. She has friends in every grade, a reputation for the advice column that somehow survived the summer, and an art portfolio that she assembled during art camp and carries in a folder she decorated with stickers. She is ready. She has always been ready. Emma was born ready.
Jack starts second grade with his 4-H ribbon pinned to the inside of his backpack, his fall garden planted, and a vocabulary that includes "crop rotation" and "companion planting." His teacher this year, Mrs. Henderson, sent home a welcome letter asking parents to share their child's hobbies. I wrote "gardening" and left it at that, because if I wrote the full scope of Jack's agricultural operations, they'd think I was making it up.
I made a back-to-school dinner: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn from the canning. The formal meal. The "we survived summer" meal. The "you are entering a new grade and I am proud of you and the way I show that is by frying chicken in my mother's cast iron skillet" meal. The kids ate with the hunger of children who have run through an entire summer and arrived at September depleted and ready for structure. Structure and fried chicken. Both essential. Both provided.
The house was quiet after they went to bed. That September quiet. I sat in the kitchen with my coffee and Marlene's wooden spoon on the counter and thought about what this year will bring. Twelve more months of feeding. Twelve more months of driving to Grinnell. Twelve more months of tater tot hotdish on Thursday and tacos on Tuesday and the steady, invisible work of keeping a family alive through food. The work nobody sees. The work that makes everything else possible. I picked up the spoon. I washed it. I put it back. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Tacos.
The back-to-school dinner in this house has always meant fried chicken — not because it’s easy, but because it’s the meal that means something, the one I pull out when I want the kids to know without saying it directly that I see them, I’m proud of them, and we are going to be okay. This New Orleans-style chicken is the version that lives in that cast iron skillet I inherited from my mother, all bold spice and crispy skin and the kind of heat that fills the kitchen and makes the whole house feel like it’s holding its breath in the best possible way. After watching Noah walk in taller and quieter, Emma carry her art portfolio like a badge of honor, and Jack head off with his 4-H ribbon tucked inside his bag, I needed a dinner that matched the weight of the moment — and this one always does.
New Orleans-Style Chicken
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, breasts)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 cups)
- 2 tbsp hot sauce (such as Crystal or Tabasco)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Stir together buttermilk, hot sauce, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Pour over chicken, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight for deeper flavor.
- Mix the dredge. In a shallow dish, whisk together flour, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, thyme, black pepper, and remaining 1 tsp kosher salt until evenly combined.
- Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a large cast iron skillet to a depth of about 3/4 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 350°F on a thermometer. A pinch of flour dropped in should sizzle immediately.
- Dredge the chicken. Lift each piece of chicken from the buttermilk marinade, letting excess drip off, then press firmly into the seasoned flour on all sides. Set on a wire rack while you coat the remaining pieces.
- Fry in batches. Working in batches to avoid crowding, place chicken skin-side down in the hot oil. Fry for 10–12 minutes per side, adjusting heat as needed to maintain 325–350°F, until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Drain and rest. Transfer finished pieces to a clean wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving so the crust stays crispy and the juices settle.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 610mg